Rice bowl with spinach pesto

To prepare the rice bowl with spinach pesto, start with the crispy chickpeas. Rinse and thoroughly drain the precooked chickpeas. Place them in a bowl and season with oil 1, salt and powdered peperoncino to taste 2. Stir thoroughly 3.

Place the chickpeas on a previously greased tray that is big enough so that they form a single layer without overlapping 4. Bake in a static oven preheated to 392°F (200°C) for around 20 minutes. Now switch to ventilated mode for another 10 minutes. To ensure they cook evenly, remove the tray a couple of times and turn them over. In the meantime, cook the rice in boiling salted water 5 for the time indicated on the packet. Drain and cool under running water 6.

Place the rice in a bowl, season with the oil 7, stir thoroughly and leave to one side 8. The chickpeas are done, remove them from the oven 9.

Now prepare the spinach. Brown a previously crushed garlic clove in a large pan with a drizzle of oil. Add the spinach 10 and cook for 2-3 minutes, until wilted. Remove the garlic 11 and season with the salt. 

Leave to cool, then place in a long and narrow container. Add the pine nuts 13, the water 14 and a drizzle of oil. Blend with an immersion mixer 15 into a smooth and homogeneous mixture. 

Now thoroughly wash the snow peas and cut into lozenges of around 0.8 inches, by using slanted cuts 16. Blanche in boiling salted water 17 for around 3 minutes, until tender. Drain and cool in water 18.

Dice the quartirolo cheese 19. Prepare your bowl: fill a quarter of it with the rice 20, add the quartirolo cheese cubes next to it 21.

Now add the chickpeas 22 and to finish, the snow peas 23. Lastly, add the spinach pesto and black sesame seeds 24. Serve and enjoy your bowl!